Oscar Pistorius Judge Warns Media on 'Scandalous' Reporting

Defense lawyer Barry Roux told the court they expect to deal with several pre-trial issues at the next hearing, which is also expected to shed more light on exactly when the trial will get underway. The next date set for Pistorius to appear in court will fall on the day Steenkamp would have celebrated her 30th birthday.

Today's court date marked the first public appearance for Pistorius since he was freed on bail in February.

The Olympic athlete, his family says, has been living in isolation and surrounding himself with photos of Steenkamp and venturing outside on rare occasions. Van Zyl told ABC News that his client has spent the past four months grieving.

"You catch him on a down day, he's shedding a lot of tears," Van Zyl said.

Van Zyl doesn't believe Pistorius could've planned Steenkamp's slaying because the couple were making plans about their future. Van Zyl says Pistorius wanted to take Steenkamp with him to overseas competitions later this year.

"He said to me, 'I want to show her what my world is about.' If you've got all these things planned you wouldn't go and just risk everything and shoot the person you love premeditated. No way," Van Zyl said.

While Pistorius now awaits his fate and the beginning of his murder trial, he's also training in the gym as the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are in the back of everyone's mind.